Michigan recruits give thumbs up to Kyle Whittingham despite a notable departure

Michigan has a new head coach. The Wolverines hired Kyle Whittingham on Friday after he agreed to a five-year deal.

There is no doubting Whittingham's credentials. There are pros and cons. The con is that he's 66 years old, but so what? Curt Cignetti is 64.

Yet, he's a proven winner. His teams play a physical style of football that should translate well to the Big Ten. Utah was essentially Michigan of the Pac-12.

The floor is really high with Whittingham. The ceiling depends on his ability to recruit and retain the current roster.

As far as the 2026 recruiting class, the vibes have been good so far. There was a decommitment, as Brady Marchese, a four-star wideout, who flipped from Georgia, asked out of his letter of intent via Hayes Fawcett of On3.com

Yet, Carter Meadows, a five-star EDGE and Michigan's highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, said he was "confident" with Whittingham leading the way, as he should be with the head coaches track record of sending players to the NFL draft.

“I’m feeling good. It was a long process. We waited for the outcome and based off what I know about coach Whittingham, I’m confident," Meadows said via Rivals.

Malakai Lee, a four-star offensive tackle and another huge priority for the Wolverines, gave the move a thumbs-up. He's another highly ranked prospect (144th overall). The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder also appears fond of Whittingham's development, plus Utah recruited him, so there is a pre-existing relationship there.

Peter Bourque, Michigan's top-100 QB in the 2027 class, also said he was "fired up" about the hire and was excited to meet Whittingham.

That's all good news. It also feels like Tony Alford will be back as the running backs coach, which would be huge for recruiting and keeping Savion Hiter in the fold.

If Whittingham can keep this recruiting class and this roster mostly intact over the next few weeks, Michigan football fans will have a lot to look forward to this fall.